I Will Lift Up My Eyes

I will lift up my eyes to the hills-
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; he shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 121

To say that life has been busy is quite an understatement. From May until this past week, life has presented many surprises, both good and bad (all of which I will not mention here). One of my summer residents passed away suddenly so that was very hard for our community to cope with. In general, the healing process has begun, which is a good thing.

From May-August I was able to have an internship in a government capacity so that was very enriching and educational for me. I interned in the Community Development and Department of Planning office at City Hall in my town. I felt like I was taking a hands-on class and was able to learn about thing from SNAP benefits from both the political and non-profit organizational view point, to programs that help youth find alternatives to finding jobs outside of the traditional college path, to block grants and how organizations are funded, to many other things. A whole new world opened up for me and I was very much like a child with big eyes in a toy store.

As of now, I am still in classes and am in the beginning stages of starting my thesis for graduate school. My desire is to do a Case Study on the management practices of Teen Challenge, so we'll see what happens. I am praying for God's favor in this.

Ever since moving to the east coast, I have become a big believer in giving back to the community, all while being the hands and feet of Jesus. I was a part of the Big Brother, Big Sister program for the past year and a half but my little sister entered middle school and is all grown up, without the need for me that she did have. Sooooo....I started thinking and praying about what the Lord might lead me to and the homeless needs in the community kept popping into my brain. I decided that I would see if I could volunteer at a women's shelter but then out of the blew, my church announced that they too felt as though the Lord was prompting our church community to be of some kind of help to those who are homeless within our city. Coincidence, I don't think so! All that to say, I am happy to see what God is going to do with this particular area of need.

Whelp!
If you're ever bored and are dying to read other blogs, I did start a blog for the ladies that live in my dorm and my goal is to update it about once a week. Feel free to drop on by it! http://rdjbailey.wordpress.com/

Until next time!
JGB

Dedicated to my mom

It has been on my mind to dedicate a post to my mom and tonight as I was driving back to my apartment from class, I realized that I don't brag on my mom enough.

I would say that my mom and I are a funny pair. We always find something to put our hands to, she always has bundles of advice for me, and I pride myself in making her laugh about the random encounters with people that I have. We are different, yet I am no doubt her child and she is no doubt my mom.

One of the first memories that I have of the two of us and our excursions is waking up at the crack of dawn to take my brothers to Christian school (and before you home schoolers have a heart attack, my brothers went to Christian school for only one year before going back to being home schooled) and then stopping by the mall to go on, what seemed like, the longest walks of my life. If I recall, I was around 3 or 4 and even back then, I disliked early mornings. So my mom would be walking quite fast to get in her early morning exercise with a small child (being me) lagging behind her saying "mommy, I'm tired....I want to go home". Mom would tell me, "I'll give you orange juice at the end of our walk if you continue with me". Well I was obsessed with orange juice so I agreed with this for a couple weeks. But my mom had to eventually add the gift of a cinnamon roll to the orange juice, and then the merry-go-round to the orange juice and cinnamon roll to keep me walking. But together, we persevered and that has been our story through the years.

My mom has always been good at pushing me just a little out of my comfort zone. This has empowered me to have a voice of my own; to not be fearful to speak up, to do what is right, to believe in myself and the one who created me, and to stand up for what I believe to be true, even if I am the only one. She has also been immaculate at  demonstrating what it means to care for someone in need. I cannot tell you how many deathbeds she has been at, nurturing dear friends through reading the Bible, brushing their hair, fluffing their pillows, etc. I can tell you now that if you are able to have my mom as your confident, friend, and or sister, you have a warrior by your side. She will advocate for you above and beyond the call of duty. She will spend countess hours trying to find resources and people for you to connect with, she will bring joy and laughter to your life, and she will stand by you through thick and thin. I am thankful for her.

"Mom, I am very thankful for you. You dedicated your life to me. From the art lessons, to piano lessons, to soccer and volleyball practice, to driving me to work, to teaching me how to drive, to supporting me in my choices, to excepting me, for me, to loving me despite our disagreements, to intentionally sitting me down and reading through the Psalms many mornings in middle school, to praying in the car every time before leaving our garage, to sending me care packages, to visiting me across the country, to teaching me what it means to be a woman of God, to showing me how to love despite not being loved, to doing my hair, to buying me who knows how many things, to all the many prayers you have prayed, I am truly grateful. Know that I love you very much and forgive me for not always showing it well. Thank you for being my mom and not letting someone else raise me. I am eternally grateful. Your one and only blood daughter,
JGB"

Highrock Church Movement

I had the opportunity to share in the video below about what the Lord is doing in the city of Boston through his children being his hands and feet. Check it out and come visit if you're ever in town. :)

http://vimeo.com/66444990

The Aftermath

Do you remember where you were when 9/11 took place?
I remember waking up to start my school for the day (I was home schooled) and as I was doing my morning rituals of brushing my teeth and getting dressed, I heard the TV on downstairs. I walked down the stairs to see mom watching TV with there being a tower in flames. I thought it was odd that she would be watching TV in the morning (our family would only watch TV in the evening time) and an action film at that. Come to find out, what I was viewing with my mom was not a movie and was the news of terrorist attack.

Fast forward 12 1/2 years...do you remember where you were when 04/15/13 took place? I was in my office working on a project when someone from the security department came and informed my office that bombs had gone off at the Boston Marathon (hours later the public was informed how many people had lost their lives and were injured). Less than 24 hours before that moment, me, my mom, and some of the residents from my dorm had been in that exact place, visiting a historical church in the Boston area. Talk about surreal. Our office began to receive phone calls from concerned parents as to whether or not we knew if their children were at the Boston Marathon because they couldn't get a hold of them. Co-workers and I began to check in with our residents to make sure they were okay. A few days afterwards, Boston and many of the surrounding cities went on lock down and we know how the rest of the story unfolds.

What now?
What do we do?
What is the church called to do?
Do we shout out "hang the terrorist"? Do we wish for the worse for this 19 year old....boy? I mean, come on! He probably had a hand in killing innocent lives, harming over a hundred people, causing fear and unrest for many of the people I live life with, along with others.

The area that I live in has gone back to "normal" as normal goes. Yet there is still an unsettled-ness in my spirit. What of this boys family? How many people are turning their backs on them? How many people are now giving his mother and father "I told you so" advice? How many Christians have walked away from them? How many Christians are condemning them? "Oh that wouldn't happen", you might say. Yet I have been one of those people who has had a family member do legally wrong things and the time where my family needed people, aka, the church, the most, is when the church turned away and gave "solid advice" that did not need to be spoken.

Again I ask you, what are we to do? Prayers are priceless yet could more be done?

Blended

Fingers stroking keys
Musical lyrics filling the air
Soft candle light flickering gently
Dusk turning to night
Firefly's brightening the air
Stars filling the sky

Honeysuckle in my nostrils
Summer breeze filling the room
Voices in the distance
Prayers in my heart

Thoughts in my mind
Hope in my soul
Yet concern in my eyes

Suffering surrounding
Pain so evident
Apathy increasing
God's heart breaking

Fingers no longer stroking keys
Musical lyrics overcome with silence
Smoke replacing the candlelight
With the night resisting dawn
Firefly's in hiding
Clouds  covering the sky

Death in my nostrils
Ice enveloping the outdoors
Voices shouting
Prayers ended
God's people blended

Revival needed
Exercise of words and actions encouraged
One wanted
To be unblended
To be filled
With the Spirit of God
To create a change
To walk narrowly
Yet Humbly
To walk boldly
Yet with grace
To walk in the Power
Yet in love

One wanted to melt the ice
One wanted to live through Christ who gives life
One wanted to bring back life
One wanted to bring back light

One wanted...

Sisterly Kindness

1 Corinthians 13

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Way of Love

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, I gain nothing. 

(via www.biblegateway.com) 

I was at the grocery store this afternoon and ran into a local pastor's wife. We exchanged greetings but it was clear that there was no time to engage in conversation with me. So I kept walking, swinging by package of toilet paper and pushing my cart while thinking, "why do we as women, treat each other so poorly?"

When and how was it that mother's instilled in their daughters that they are to be kind to some but not all? We, as women, seem to do a pretty good job at being judgmental. If we feel as though another woman has too much makeup on, is not a good homemaker, does not dress to our taste, uses incorrect English, works outside of the home, has different views on dating/courtship, and marriage than us, has a career that we do not approve of, does not eat everything organic and natural or eats everything organic and natural, does not hold to the belief of women in church leadership, holds to the view of women in church leadership, raises their children differently, we judge. We feel threatened. And lets face it, sometimes, we're jealous. Why????

Is it the fact that we do not value our own selves so therefore we are not going to value others? Is it the fact that we want to be the center of attention so when others are receiving that attention, we feel threatened? Is it the fact that we do not like our life, so we negatively compare it with the lives of others? Is it the fact that we do not like what we see in the mirror?

I, as a woman, can be the best at whatever I put my hands to. But if I have not love, I'm merely making racket. I can be the best at saving money, the best girlfriend, the best RD, the best cook, the best student, the best member of the church; but if I do not have love what does all this profit? NOTHING. I hope to one day live in a world, where regardless of personalities, we as women, can stand up and be a support, stand up and be kind, stand up and be loving, stand up and be Christ to the sister's around us. When Christ was on earth, he made it his business to love "the other." The "other" meaning those you would think that he would have no time for. Sisters, it is time to stand up. As my wise mother once said, at the end of the day, we all put our pants on the same way so there's no reason to be snooty. ;)

Ahhhhh September!

September is here!!!!!!!
It has always been one of my favorite months because my birthday inhabits it and it also represents the end of summer and the beginning of autumn (my favorite season). I've recently started thinking on what I was doing about 10 years ago. If we were to travel back in time I would have been living in IN, starting my first babysitting job, going into 8th grade, and spending my free time doing carefree things such as riding my bike, piano and art lessons, reading, 4-H, and enjoying the friendship's of my junior high and high school friends, Lauren, Amy and Casey.

Fast forward to now.
In the here and now I am realizing what it means to have boundaries (not the dating relationship boundaries, which Shane and I also have). My dad used to tell me all the time "Julie, you need to practice saying "no." Just look in the mirror and say "no" over and over." Of course I would always laugh when he would tell me this but as I grow older, I'm realizing more and more that he has a point, and not just a small point. I cannot be all things to all people. Life cannot be consumed with the desires of others. Yet it cannot be consumed with the desires of self either. But where's the balance? As you well know by now, I am no theologian. But I have been wondering something. What happened to having a Sabbath? What happened to having a day of rest? God's word tells us that he made the Sabbath for man not man for the Sabbath. I was in a training session with most of the Residential Life Staff that I work with and the speaker was telling us how it could be considered a sin to not care for self. Have you ever thought of the verse that says "love your neighbor as you love yourself?" Here's the questions: are you loving self? Do you run around doing so much for others that you don't do for you (and this is easy to do when working with students or people in general)? Whether it's something as simple as listening to your body in terms of stopping when you have to go to the bathroom, eating when you're hungry, getting enough sleep and water, and exercising, and refueling yourself whether through solitude, time spent with the Lord, music, art, etc.

Not only do Shane and I have a physical boundary contract but we also have a "Sabbath" contract. Wherein we both have a time frame during a specific day of the week (maybe one day we'll graduate to an entire day) where we are committing to spend time resting (and of course this could mean different things for different people). And we don't spend this time together. This past weekend was somewhat difficult in that I chose to ignore three phone calls even though I technically wasn't "busy." Here's a small list of things I enjoy doing during my alone time:

1. Walking by the beach
2. Getting a massage every couple of months
3. Reading
4. Spending time with the Lord
5. Journaling
6. Taking myself out to a nice meal
7. Movie nights

I would just like to encourage whomever is reading this to take care of yourself. If you don't, not many others will. Until next time!

JGB

Someone great
Someone grand
Someone I don't deserve
Someone I'm thankful for
Someone I'm growing to know more and more
Someone who is more than I could ever dream of
Someone I dearly care for :)

Oh Politics!

I'm never been a huge fan of politics or the election season.

You have the Republicans asking you: "How can you vote for a democrat and be a Christian since most democrats support gay rights and abortion?"

You have the Democrats say: "How can you vote for a republican and be a Christian since most republicans care nothing about the poor, forgotten, and ignored?"

My question for you readers is this: whoever is in office or may be in office, would they know that you are a follower of Christ, not by what side you vote for, but by how you conduct your speech and actions? All the sharing of demeaning and disrespectful jokes, rude cartoons, and non respect does not reflect what Christ is all about. Yes! Have your opinion and make it known. But to tear someone down with your words, no matter how much you dislike them, in no means will please the heart of God OR have that person desire to be a follower of God.

Just something to think about.

Content

I am truly thankful for all that the Lord has done and is doing. I was able to visit my two older brothers in Indiana this past weekend. My second oldest brother I hadn't seen in about 5 years and I hadn't seen my oldest in 1 year. You know, no family is perfect, no family has all the answers, no family will do everything that it should. But the fact of the matter is that so many of us have been blessed with families; families that will love us through thick and thin and family members we will love through thick and thin. There's almost a 100% certainty that when I go into the city, I'll see someone who is homeless. And I'll often think "doesn't this person have any friend's or family that can help them get back on their feet?" The fact of the matter is, not everyone have people in their lives that can be or represent family. Of course you also get the people who push folks away from them, not knowing that they're only harming themselves by shutting everyone out of their lives.

I thank God for my family and I thank him for his lovingkindness that is better than life. My lips shall always praise him.

Pictures!

Greetings!

May has been a BUSY month but by God's grace I've made it through!!!!!! Below are some pictures for you to enjoy from highlights of the past month in a half or so. This summer is going to be a good, but busy one. I'll be visiting some friends in D.C., helping at a Bible "camp" in VA for a week, going to see my brothers in IN, and making a couple of trips to NY (I'll tell you why the next time I post) as well as preparing for the next school year.

Mom came to visit me for a few days

One of my "sisters" came to visit me as well

At the Junior/Senior Banquet with a student friend

Spring is here and I'm sneezing like there's no tomorrow!

Hello!
Spring in New England is quite beautiful but I'm thinking the poor plants don't know what to do with themselves. One minute it's 40 degrees and the next it's 90 degrees (like today). Which I think makes the plants populate its pollen even more so. It makes breathing somewhat difficult especially since I do not have air conditioner.

Well some of you probably know this while others have no clue, but my parents have moved across America to the Seattle area. God answered prayers in terms of moving them from where they were from but I'm thinking I should make it a point to be a little more specific in what I pray for next time. ;)Regardless I'm very happy for them and thankful for the Lord's provision. I am VERY excited about Christmas. The farthest west I have been is IL so I'll be able to add a new state onto my travels. In others news, I recently submitted my application to grad school. Hopefully by the time 2014 roles around, I'll have a Masters of Science in Management.

And......it looks like I may be involved with a church plant. I was going to a church in Cambridge but things didn't work out because of some issues with my Bible Study. The chaplain of the school that I work at just informed me that there's going to be a sister church planted in the city that I live in so he put me in contact with the pastor of this new church. I am now meeting with this new pastor and another one on Friday for lunch and I'm pretty pumped about it. Hopefully I'll be able to find out more about their vision and heart beat for the city. As of now, a few of them meet once a week to pray and they are officially starting church meetings in June. So if you think of it, please pray for this as it may be an answer to prayer. Until next time!

JGB

What If?

What if Jesus had never died?

What if God had answered his prayer and had allowed the cup to pass him by?

What if Judas had never betrayed him?

What if Pilate had released Barabas instead of Jesus?

What if angels had come to rescue him?

What if he had not become sin for you; sin for me?

What if his legs had been broken?

What if water and blood had not poured out?

What if the veil of separation had not been ripped in two?

What if God had not forsaken him during his time of despair?

What if man had taken his life instead of him giving it willingly?

If Jesus had not died than I would be lost. If God had answered his son’s prayer then there would have been no cross. If Judas had not betrayed him and Barabas had taken his place then his mission would have not been fulfilled; saving you, saving me. If angels had come to rescue him man would still be lost with no hope, purpose, or life. If he had not become sin for you and me his death would have been in vain. If his legs had been broken, man would have been in control. If water and blood had not been poured out there would have been no proof that he gave up his spirit out of his own will and decision. If the veil had not been ripped in two there would still be a wall of separation between us and God. If God had not forsaken him during this time, then Jesus would not have really become sin since God cannot look upon it. If man had taken his life, prophecy would not have been fulfilled and Jesus would be showing that he had been forced to die for you; forced to die for me. But no! He knew what he was doing and he gave his life for you; gave his life for me, willingly. And he did this why? Because he desires you; he desires me. He is pursuing you and pursuing me to the end of our brokenness. He won’t give up. If man couldn’t kill him, death couldn't stop him and the grave couldn’t and wouldn't hold him then nothing will. Embrace him. He is wanting to embrace you.

Post 22

Where shall I begin?
I have been a slacker in terms of keeping this blog updated. God has been doing some new things in my life and I'm excited to share those things with you in the future. In the mean time I shall try and give a brief re-cap of the past few months:

-New Year's was spent watching a Charlie Brown's Christmas (there's a first for everything)
-A good friend of mine came to visit me a few days after New Year's
-Someone that I graduated with has moved within an hour of me so that's exciting
-I'm looking for a new church (again)
-I was able to visit John and Abigail Adams grave
-I toured the JFK Library
-I joined a Women's Prayer Group associated with a Nazarene Church in the area
-My parents had a surprise visit from me in February (I'm SO thankful they were home)
-I joined the Big Sister Association so I now have a "little sister" that I meet with once a week
-I'm taking some ladies from my dorm to a clayroom and we're painting pottery in a few weeks.
-AND I'm bringing in an instructer to give us a crash course in Self-Defense
-My RA's for the next academic year have been chosen so I'm getting really excited about that yet trying to make sure that I finish out this year strong
-I'm looking at starting Grad School in the fall
-A good friend from D.C. is coming to visit me next month (and I'm SO excited)

Well hopefully I won't wait three more months until I write anything. Until next time! :)

God Doesn't Waste Anything

"Every experience God give us

every person he put in our lives,

is the perfect preparation

for the future"

-Corrie ten Boon

"God doesn't waste anything." I was speaking with someone dear to my heart about if our decisions in life defines who we are as individuals. We came to the conclusion that they don't. The reason being that there are decisions that we may have made 10 years ago, yet we would not make the same ones today because we are different than who we were 10 years ago. BUT it does seem that past decisions do shape and form you into the person you are today; whether good or bad. Yet even the bad can be used for God's glory if we allow him to do so. About three years ago I was in college and in shambles because I had changed my direction of study from Nursing to Communication and I felt as though my world had fallen apart. Yet one sweet dear friend told me "God doesn't waste anything." And I have kept that in my heart and will continue to do so until I'm dead and have gone on to glory. At the moment my friend was telling me this, she was speaking of classes that I had, had to take for Nursing school and what would transfer over to the Communication field of study. Yet she wasn't just talking about classes but certain skills that I had learned while obtaining my license to be a Nurses Aid (which was a part of the Nursing program). The school I attended made sure that we realized that we weren't just caring for a "thing" in order to get paid but we were caring for an individual created by God that needed tender love and the best care possible. And no matter what the task or skill, no matter how gross, disgusting or "low" it might be, we "can do all things through Christ who strengthens us" ("as long as I have my gloves on") as my instructer would say. ;) My friend helped me to realize that those long hard hours, days, weeks, semesters, and years of studying one particular field was not a waste despite the raised eyebrows, questions, and surprised looks by many upon hearing the news.

What I'm trying to say is that we can learn from every single situation we're in; good or bad. Had a bad courting/dating relationship-learn from it. Have a dear friend that you still love but don't really talk to as much-learn what you can from that friendship and how it was beneficial for the both of you. Strayed away from the direction God wanted you to be going-learn from that situation. Were you involved in a ministry that flopped-learn from it. Have you invested in someone to suddenly have them turn their back on you-learn from it.  Had a job you disliked-learn from it. God doesn't waste anything and he is more than able to bring beauty from ashes. He is the potter and we are the clay.

Post 20

This past weekend was draining, but a good draining. I was able to partner with the Admissions Dpt. and put together ENC's first Parent Day in the history of mankind (that I know anything of). It was an all-day event on Saturday which included a performance of the "Messiah" and I was able to attend Sat and Sun performances (I was too distracted to appreciate the performance on Saturday so I went to it again on Sunday and got to sit 2nd row from the front). But here's how the weekend went
Friday night: two friends played the WORST heart-wrenching prank on me that I've ever experienced BUT through the tears, it brought us closer together

Saturday: two friends made me and themselves breakfast (at 7:30 am-so much love!) and helped me set up for Parent Day. Parent Day officially started at 10am and ended at 10pm

Sunday: I skipped church and attended the 2nd performance of the Messiah. AND THEN.....I FOUND A MOUSE IN MY SPARE BEDROOM!   The RA's were having a Christmas Party which included a Yankee Swap so I went into my spare bedroom to find something nice to wrap my present in and here's this small criter looking slightly lost and running back in forth near the window in the room. So I frantically called an RA friend and he came over and killed it (on accident-but he feels more manly by just saying that he killed it). So now I have this terrible vision of me going to sleep and all theses mice flying out of holes in the wall and having a party like on some cartoon that I've seen. But as my RA friend said "as least you don't have rats." So now my spare bedroom door is shut with a towel shoved underneath it while I wait for the Pest Control guy to arrive. That's all for now!

Gone

For many, one of the hardest things to do in life is say "goodbye" to those whom you love especially when you don't know when or if you'll ever see them again. You often feel that those individuals whom you've said "goodbye" to are gone to never again return. Many "goodbyes" leave a void in your heart and in your life that cannot be filled by anyone but the individual that you have parted ways with. But those idividuals who are gone from your life through death or other circumstances are gone physically but are they gone forever? No my friend. Each individual leaves some kind of an impact on your life so much so that the things that you do today, the way that you think, today, the way you talk, today, has been formed by those that have had a part in your past. Remember that good friend you had back in the day or that family member you paid your respects to? Even though you may no longer be in communion with them, a part of them, it could be great or small, is still living through you and other lives that they have impacted.

How are you living through the lives of those around you? Are you the kind of person that sparks a bad memory because of the way you act circumstances out? Do individuals look at you and say "my life is different because this person spoke truth into me...my life is different because this person wasn't nosy and didn't ask a million questions, but they were there.....my life is different because this person let me into their personal space when I had no where else to go and no one else to turn to....my life is different because this person didn't just say they would pray for me but they actually did...my life is different because when everyone else had doubts, this person saw my potential and stood up for me....my life is different because this person stuck by me during my highs and my lows....my life is different because this person allowed themselves to be the hands and feet of God. I challenge you and I challenge myself to not ignore all that those around you have to offer because in order to pour into individuals, you too have to be poured into. What may be gone in the visual is still present in more ways than one.

Post 17

Hello!
It has been a little while since I last gave an update on life. I was able to celebrate a birthday the end of last month so I'm very thankful to be on earth for another year; as I get older I realize even more so how being in my 20's means nothing-death is not defined by age.

This past week has been interesting. I participated in a "walkathon" to help support those struggling with homelessness. But....the "walkathon" was more of a tour of organizations in Boston that minister to those that are homeless. I must say that I had to stop myself at many times during the "walkathon" from laughing. I'm pretty sure my group looked like a pre-school class following around our guide (we all were wearing the same colored shirts (except for me-I was late) and the leader had a big yellow sign with our groups number on it). Oh well....it made a good story. BUT...the church that I have been attending supports social justice so we were able to split up into groups today and go into the community and minister in various ways. My group did a prayer walk around Cambridge which was a blessing to participate in. If this is the church that I'm to be at, I'm excited about the ways I can become involved in it in the future.

God has been giving me the opportunity to invest in the lives of students, which I LOVE! I had a dorm-wide event last week, with the emphasis being on women dealing with fantasizing, porn, and struggling to sustain a healthy mind in a sexually saturized world. About ten people showed up and the lady that came and spoke to the ladies of my dorm did a good introduction session so I'm hoping we can do follow-up ones in the future. One student recently told me that she wants to do a movie night in my apartment with a bunch of ladies, so I'm looking forward to that. I've also been able to cook with a couple of students and show them my very limited knowledge of what can take place in the kitchen (one student thinks that apple sauce is the best thing in the whole world; so I was able to show him how to cook it).

Work does have its challenges. Maintaining harmony amongst office mates can be difficult at times-but we're human so having tention is bound to happen.

A highlight of this month is that I'm going to VA this week!!!!!!! And I'm VERY excited! I need some country air and the fellowship of old friends. :) Well I'm off!

~JGB

Post 16

Here lately I've been feeling like one of those mothers you read about in children's stories, being able to find a biblical application in small everyday events. I even find myself quoting scriptures at students or applying verses to my own life as I experience things that I've never run into before. I'm going to try and enable you to get into my head in what I've been thinking about lately.

With great anticipation I watch my oldest brother on live TV as he's about to enter the octagon for a big fight. He puts on his gear, hugs my dad (yes, I saw my dad on LIVE TV for the 1st time EVER), and gets encouragement from coaches and the like around him. He enters the octagon, fans are cheering like there's no tomorrow. I too start to cheer, even though he can't hear me. My heart rate begins to quicken and I begin to pray "dear Lord, keep my brother safe, enable him from power from within, help him to win, at the very least, do well during this fight." Round one starts and both my brother and his opponent go after it. I pray that God gives my brother an in to take this guy down. Round two; his opponent is pounding my brothers face. I begin to yell at the guy, telling him to punch somewhere else. None the less, my brother remains on his feet, blocking as many punches as he is able. His face begins to swell before the fans eyes, his opponent keep striking. My brother remains on his feet. Round three; same thing takes place only the punches and the kicks intensify. His eyes begin to swell shut yet my brother still remains on his feet; his opponent taken back as to why he has yet to fall down. He eventually puts him in a head lock, my brother bent over, yet still remaining on his feet. Round three ends, my brother's opponent wins yet the hosts of the show are shocked by the endurance that my brother portrayed. They spoke of him as having a "chin of steel and the heart of a lion." His opponent even praised him, saying he doesn't know how my brother stayed on his two feet. 


I'm used to seeing my brother win fights and so are his fans but while watching all of this, the Lord reminded me of something. No matter how hard the enemy attacks, no matter what he throws at me; stand. No matter how simple it would seem to sit down, to give in; stand. No matter how painful the blows are, even when I loose sight as to what is before me; stand and God will see me through.

I love you my brother! I'm pretty sure I would have fallen after the first blow, but you endured with the heart, the will, and the mind of a champion. You are the definition of a fighter.